Could The Sriracha Sauce Plant Come to Texas After All?

Sriracha-loving Denton City Councilman Kevin Roden is getting one step closer to his dream of having the cultishly adored rooster sauce's manufacturing plant relocate to his favorite small town.

After manufacturer Huy Fong Foods was hit with a lawsuit by the city of Irwindale, Cal. for irritating the eyes of locals with its factory's delicious chili pepper vapor, Denton City Councilman Kevin Roden sprang into action, posting an open letter calling for Huy Fong to relocate to his city.

He also started the trending hashtag #Sriracha2Denton, describing the college town as an up-and-coming economic paradise with cheap properties and plenty of industrial sites just waiting for the hot sauce icon to put down roots. The publicity stunt brought interest to the town from politicians and businesses across the country, but Roden admitted he didn't really expect a response from Huy Fong.

Seven months later, Roden has an answer anyway: Yesterday, he and a few other government representatives were invited to visit the Huy Fong Foods factory, Willy Wonka-style, to see firsthand if the factory might just be suitable for Denton.

Roden is understandably excited about his upcoming visit to Irwindale, asking for input from the community on the best way to sell Denton as the next big thing for Sriracha. (A music festival where performers spray hot sauce into the crowd, perhaps?) Everyone in town seems so excited, they haven't yet considered that the irritating chili odor driving the California lawsuit in the first place might also cause problems for Denton, but really, who cares? Hipster ketchup!

· Denton Officials Invited to Visit Sriracha Plant — Help Us Sell Denton [Kevin Roden]
· California Sriracha Factory Considers Moving [-EN-]
· All Sriracha coverage on Eater Dallas [-EDFW-]

[Photo: cookbookman/Flickr]